Pallet



Nov. 17, 1 959 T. J. DES'BOIS PALLET Filed Feb. 27. 1956 INVENTOR. Theodore Desbozs BY MM 6256 United States Patent M The invention of this application relates to pallets and is particularly concerned with light-weight, flexible palv lets.

Hitherto, it has been customary to stack bags, cartons and like containers on pallets for storage-and for convenience in transportation. Generally such pallets have been constructed of wood, often reinforced with metal, and have therefore been bulky and excessively heavy. These characteristics are undesirable since the bulk of such pallets requires valuable room and their excessive weight increases transportation costs.

' It is, therefore, an object of the'present invention to provide a pallet of the character described which'is light in weight and small in size." i

It is another object of the invention to provide a pallet of the character described which is flexible and may be rolled or folded into a small space.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet of the character described in which the main portion thereof can be readily replaced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pallet of the character described which is adapted for stacking even though the containers piled thereon present an uneven top surface. I

Still another object of the invention is to provide a pallet of the character described which is inexpensive, durable and convenient to use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a front elevational view of a pallet according to the present invention with bags piled thereon;

Figure 2 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of the pallet illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a modified form of pallet according to the invention;

. Figure 4 is an enlarged, fargmentary, sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3; and 1 Figure 5 is a fragmentary .view similar to Figure 3.

showing the manner in which the lifting channel members are attached to the main portion of the modified form of pallet.

Referring to Figure 1, a preferred embodiment of the novel pallet of the present invention comprises a sheetlike medial portion or member 11, preferably of rec tangular shape, which is clamped along opposite edges in two elongated channel members 12. The channel members may conveniently be of identical construction and may be formed of suitable material chosen with regard to the severity of use expected. Such materials include reinforced plastics and light metals such as aluminum and magnesuim alloys.

As will be seen from Figures 1 and 2 each channel member 12 comprises a pair of longitudinally grooved jaws 13 and 14 that are pivotally mounted on an elongated hinge pin 17. The longitudinal grooves provided in the respective jaws are alignedwhen the jaws are closed to form a longitudinal channel 18 within the member 12 various materials.

2,913,205 Patented Nov. 17, 19 59 ICC adapted to receive a time or finger 21 of the fork-lift of a common type of lift truck. A longitudinally extending rib or fillet 19 is. formed on the inner side of the jaw 14 adjacent and parallel to the edge thereof distant from the hinge pin 17. The rib 19 projects into the groove of the jaw 13 when the jaws are closed and thereby, as shown in Figure 1, there is provided means for firmly gripping and clamping the edge of the medial portion 11. Registration holes are provided in the free edges of each of the jaws 13 and 14 these holes being adapted to receive screws 26 which hold the jaws clamped on the medial portion 11 and assist in securing such portion. Preferably the heads of the screws are countersunk to prevent their catching on bags or the like which may be piled on the pallet.

The medial portion 11 of the pallet may be formed of Although for general use a strong, woven fabric such as heavy canvas or the like is preferred, many other materials may be used for specific purposes. Thus, under favorable conditions, sheet plastics, felted fabrics, paper and sheet metal may be employed if desired. While the medial member is preferably. flexible it will be understood that flexibility isrelative and that more or less rigid members may be used in some cases. In such cases the edges of the member may require preforming to allow clamping in the jaws 13 and 14. I

A pallet of the type illustrated in Figure l is constructed very quickly. The channel members 12 are, of course, prefabricated. Taking a pair of these and a rectangular medial member, such asa piece of canvas, of the proper size, it is merely necessary to clamp the opposite edges of the latter between the respective pairs of jaws 13 and 14 and fasten the jaws tightly together by the screws 26. Obviously, the length of the canvas strip shouldbe the same as that of the members 12. Its width may vary, but in most instances it will be found convenient to use canvas of such width that the channels 18 of the members 12 are spaced apart the same'distance as that provided between the fork tines or fingers of standard fork-lift trucks. In the event that any one of the three major components of the pallet becomes Worn or damaged such component may be easily and quickly replaced.

Referring again to Figure 1, it will be seen that'a plurality of bags 28. may be conveniently piled on the pallet. The whole load may, of course, be readily picked up by a fork-lift truck for transportation of for vertical stacking on other loaded pallets.

In Figures 3 to, 5 there is illustrated another embodiment of a novel pallet according to the present invention. In this embodiment themedial portion or member 33 is preferably rectangularpandformed of canvas or similar strong, tough flexible material. A pair of opposite edges of the portion 33 are engaged and clamped in elongated binding strips 34 which, if desired, may be further secured against removal from the medial portion by a plurality of longitudinally spaced screws (not shown). Each of the binding strips 34 is roughly D-shaped. Adjacent one edge thereof, which is turned inwardly as shown at 35 there 'is formed a flat base 36. At the other side of the base 36 the strip is bent upwardly and rearwardly and adjacent its other edge is provided with two reverse bends. As most clearly shown in Figure 4, the edge of the medial pallet portion 33 is gripped in the outer channel 37 thus formed.

The complete modified form of pallet comprises a medial member 33, two oppositely disposed, parallel, binding strips 34 and a pair of elongated, metal members 39. Each member 39 preferably is formed with an openended, substantially rectangular, tubular portion 41 and an outwardly projecting edge which is inturned to form 6 an open-sided channel 42. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the channel 42 is adapted for slidable engagement on the outside of the channel 37 of a binding strip 34, thereby permitting attachment of members 39 along opposite edges of the pallet. The longitudinal channels formed by the tubular portions 41 of the members 39 are adapted to receive the tines or fingers of a fork lift like the channels 18 of the members 12. Thus the modified pallets are provided with removable or detachable lift-engaging means. When the members 39 are not attached the lower portions of the binding strips 34, including the fiat bases 36 ,thereof, support the edges of the medial portion 33.

The modified form of pallet just described possesses substantially the same advantages as the preferred embodiment and, indeed, is in some instances more advantageous since removal of the tubular members 39 from the pallets conserves space and reduces the weight of loads. Economies in storage and transportation result. Where shipments are made with the members 39 removed such members must, of course, be supplied and mounted by the consignee in order to permit the pallet tobe picked up by a fork-truck (see Figure 3). On the other hand, the necessity of preventing bending or other distortion of the binding strips 34 if they are to be easily engaged in the open-sided channels 42 of the members 39 makes the use of the modified form of pallet undesirable in some cases. The preferred form shown in Figures 1 and 2 is somewhat less adaptable but less likely to give trouble in many types of use.

It will be understood that the medial portion 33 of the modified form, like the portion 11,. may, if desired, be constructed of various other suitable materials. bviously also the elongated metal members 34 and 39 may, instead of being bent to shape, be extruded in desired form or, in some cases, may be constructed of other materials such as reinforced plastics. The particular construction required will to a large extent depend upon the conditions of use and the loads for which the pallets are intended. For example, where heavy loads are to be carried by the pallets and it is desired to attach or remove the tubular members 39 from the several pallets in a stack of loaded pallets it is contemplated that the binding strips 34 may be provided with solid cores to minimize distortion. Such a core would occupy the major portion of the interior of a strip 34 but would leave ample room for insertion of the channel 42 of a member 39. Any suitable rigid material may be used in forming such cores, which may be inserted in the strips 34 and secured therein by screws or pins. Alternatively the cores may be formed integrally with the strips 34 or otherwise permanently installed.

It is evident from the foregoing description that the pallets of the present invention are highly useful. Not only are they inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, since components can be prefabricated and kept in stock, but they also are relatively light in weight. When flexible medial members are used stacking of loaded pallets is facilitated since because of such flexibility the tops of the loads on the pallets need not be precisely evenif tilting is to be avoided. It is to be noted that in both forms of pallet described and illustrated the channels provided for reception of the fork of a fork-lift truck are clear and offer no obstruction to the entry of the fork.

While in the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings there have been set forth specific details of construction it is to be understood that such details may be departed from and the construction may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, the invention is not to be construed as limited to the precise construction shown and described, but should be considered as limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pallet of the character described comprising a pair of elongated channel members, said members having complementary, pivotally joined jaws, and a sheetlike medial member, opposite edges of said medial member being clamped by said jaws and said channel members being arranged in parallel, spaced relation.

2. A pallet as set forth in claim 1 in which said medial member is flexible and rectangular.

3. A pallet as set forth in claim 2 in which said jaws are provided with interengaging grooves and ribs.

4. A pallet of the character described comprising a sheet-like, flexible, rectangular medial member, a pair of binding strips removably attached to said medial member on opposite edges thereof, and an elongated member having a channel therein slidably engaged with each of said binding strips.

5. A pallet of the character described which comprises a rectangular, sheet-like, medial member and a pair of elongated members each having a longitudinal channel therein adapted to receive a tine of a fork-lift truck, each of said elongated members comprising a pair of pivotally connected jaws having means engaging opposite edges of said medial member and clamping said edges against accidental displacement, each of said jaws being formed to provide a portion of said channel when said jaws are in closed position, and other means removably engaging each of said jaws to hold said jaws closed.

6. A pallet as set forth in claim 5 in which said firstmentioned means includes an interengaging rib and groove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,464,370 Novick Aug. '7, 1923 1,994,205 Yalch Mar. 12, 1935 2,325,500 Fosberg July 27, 1943 2,643,080 Vogel June 23, 1953 2,698,696 Strong Jan. 4, 1955 2,817,485 White et a1. Dec. 24, 1957 

